September is a packed month of European political developments, as anticipated following the June European elections. Brussels has been particularly busy with the unveiling of portfolios of the new European Commission college by President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, with a full presentation to the European Parliament of the plans for 2024-2029.
Ethnic segregation is a widespread and systematic practice in many European countries. These practices are illegal yet continue to shape the lives of children and families across Europe. Our rights to education, housing, and health, ostensibly enjoyed by us all, remain divided along ethnic lines. For many Roma, their enjoyment of these rights is severely limited, often with the tacit support of the state.
On 6-9th June 2024, Europeans voted to renew the European Parliament and new Members of European Parliament (MEP) will convene for the first time in Plenary mid-July in Strasbourg, France. While the European People’s Party (EPP), European Conservatives (ECR) and Identify and Democracy Group (ID) have seen an increase in seats, the Greens and Renew Europe have had significant losses. The Socialists have maintained around the same number of seats. The biggest increase has been for the non-aligned MEPs which are a heterogenous group, yet with most of them coming from the far right.
COFACE has the ambition to shape together a strong social Europe fit for families and foster a European society that is more inclusive, offers equal opportunities and brings everyone forward.
In preparation of the next European elections on 6-9th June 2024, here are ten specific actions we would like to see integrated in the programme of the European Union.
On 14 and 15 April, COFACE Families Europe participated in the Social Summit on the Future of Social Europe that took place in the small Belgian village of La Hulpe. The purpose of the high-level conference was to sign an inter-institutional declaration, with the ultimate goal of shaping the future social agenda of the European Union for period of 2024-2029.
In view of the High-Level event of the Belgian presidency of the EU on the European Pillar of Social Rights taking place in La Hulpe on 15 and 16th April 2024, as well as the upcoming European elections, 16 European organisations call on EU policy makers to enhance the implementation of Pillar principle 18 on the right to long-term care under the next 2024-2029 legislature, starting with the creation of a European Long-Term Care Platform.
In January 2024, the first ministerial meeting under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union brought together the Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs in the Walloon capital of Namur. During the first day, Ministers discussed how social policies should be reflected in the strategic agenda of the EU institutions after the European elections.
The rEUsilience project under Horizon Europe (with COFACE as an intergral partner), has recently presented its latest findings from focus groups involving over 300 family members across six European countries (Belgium, Croatia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). These insights delve into the realities families encounter amidst socio-economic risks like job loss and substantial care responsibilities.
The Council of the European Union will be headed by Belgium for the first six months of 2024 (1st of January to the 30th of June), a special year for the institution because next June, the citizens of the 27 Member States (nearly 200 million voters in the last elections in 2019) will elect the 720 new Members of the European Parliament.
On the morrow of the UN International day for the Rights of Children, the European Parliament adopted an important text for children and their families. The Own Initiative report on Reducing inequalities and promoting social inclusion in times of crisis for children and their families received 386 votes in favours for 87 against and 141 abstention.
Universal Children’s Day on 20th November offers us an inspirational entry point to promote child well-being and build a world fit for children. It is a day of action by children. They are speaking out and imagining a better future. It is important to listen to their ideas and demands. It is also a day for children to ensure their rights and provide a nurturing and safe environment for all from birth on.
Join EU institution representatives, national policymakers, Ministers, business leaders, social partners, civil society, and academia as they delve into the dynamic realm of artificial intelligence and its impact on the world of work.
The Commission presented the annual European Semester Spring Package on 24 May 2023. The Package includes a Communication, country reports and country-specific recommendations for all 27 Member States, in-depth reviews for 17 Member States, and a Commission proposal on guidelines for Member States’ employment policies in 2023.
The European Child Guarantee, established through a Council Recommendation on the 14th of June 2021, is a key step in achieving the European Pillar of Social Rights target to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Two years after the historical adoption of this Recommendation and the promise of all EU Member States to act to lift children and their families out of poverty, COFACE Families Europe assessed the plans submitted by April 2023 from the perspective of children with disabilities and their families who experience specific barriers when accessing key services and have a more significant risk of poverty and social exclusion.
On 2 May 2023, the European Commission published a Staff Working Document: “Cohesion 2021-2027: forging an ever-stronger Union – Report on the outcome of 2021-2027 cohesion policy programming.” The report shows how the policy will provide investments worth a total of €545 billion, of which, €378 billion is funded by the EU.
Media release, 15th May 2023 International Day of Families As governments across the EU are called upon to increase the overall uptake of Early Childhood Education and Care, COFACE members are reporting increasing trade-offs between quality and quantity,...
The main task of the High-Level Group was to analyse the expected impacts of megatrends such as demographic changes, resulting in a shrinking workforce and an ageing population, transformations on the labour market and the digital and green transitions, as well as the emergence of new risks on the social protection and on the welfare systems.
2021 was not an easy year for families, the pandemic was a harsh reality for civil society and for families all over Europe. At COFACE, riven by our 2030 Child compass and our new strategic framework we defined our focus to support families to bounce back from the Covid-19 crisis.
We harnessed the full potential of technologies and developed our European Family Lab further as a strong and innovative tool to reach out to families and build bridges between family professionals.
